Lombax Kisses
by HosekiDragon
Summary: Ratchet and Clank drabbles. Some are based on the 100 Themes Challenge on dA and others are of my own design. Rated for safety measures.
1. 001 Introduction

I've never done drabbles before though I've read a few; and I love them…! However, I feel that there is a lack of Ratchet and Clank fan fictions and this situation must be dealt with! (starts waving around the Razor Claws) Hence the dawning of…Lombax Kisses! And here it is!

This wonderful little drabble is set during the first game. By my calculations, Ratchet would have been about sixteen since he was nineteen in Deadlocked but that's my opinion. Anyway, enjoy!

**001: Introduction **

When I was still really, really young, nothing more than a Lombax pup, one of the adults told me that "life can take you down many unexpected paths and not all of them will lead to good fortune". At the time, I didn't know what the heck they were going on about now, at sixteen and saving the universe, I sort of get it. The people I've met, the ones who've helped and gotten in my way, and the horrible things I've seen without really comprehending it is all sort of clicking together. It's not a game. I could die.

Clank always called me reckless, telling me off for diving into a situation rather than thinking about it, but, hey, I'm a teenager, what can you expect? He told me that wasn't a "valid excuse for my irresponsible actions." I told him to shove it. Still, even though he's been an annoying little vulture, he's helped. A little bit.

At the moment, I'm squished into a tiny little ship; the thing's running on autopilot, just cruising along in space; trying to sleep. I can't. There's so much that's happened and I'm trying to sort it all out: we have to stop Drek, save the universe, and all that stuff. It makes all my fur stand on end when I think about all the stuff that guy has done; excluding Qwark, he makes me want to puke. It's sick and wrong, destroying people's lives and homes just for your own money and benefit. I **have** to stop him!

If Clank saw this he'd say something stupid about it, I know he would. I don't want people to call me a hero yet, I haven't done anything, but when I beat Drek, that's when they'll recognize me! Ratchet the Lombax!

Ooooohhh, can I vomit now? That was so corny. Ratchet, that's me, the only Lombax on Veldin. That stink-hole of a backwater planet; I can call it as many names as I want but it will forever be my home.

"Wherever your heart points you, lad, that's where you go. But your home is always calling you back." Same guy told me that. He had a lot of stuff like that to say but I never really thought I'd listened. It sounds like stuff Clank would spew if he was all mystic and stuff. But Clank is Clank and he's freaking annoying. Sometimes.

So, that practically sums up who I am. The only Lombax on Veldin, an orphan raised by everyone in my humble little town only to watch them burn and die right before my eyes by Drek's forces, helping a tiny little robot to save the galaxy or the universe or whichever it turns out to be, and I'm only sixteen.

My name is Ratchet. Pleasure doing business with you.


	2. 002 Love

Another Theme Challenge drabble is in order, I believe. Whhaaaaaa! Romeo, oh, Romeo! Where art thou with my sandwich Romeo!? Okay, okay, no more Shakespeare for EmptyHeart.

Right, so, this one is sort of after 'Tools of Destruction' but it has nothing to do with an upcoming fan fiction. Again, no R**x**C smoochy crap or anything. Friendship is love if the bond is strong enough.

Also, I want to apologize for the total angst in this one, I just had a pretty bad day.

**002: Love**

_What was love anyway? Who knew? Oh, when I was younger I thought love was the most romantic thing out there, the best thing that could ever happen to someone, the greatest adventure ever. But as I grew older, I came to realize my delusions were nothing more than childish fantasies that I should not have continued to nurse. I banished thoughts of love, instead turning them to ideas. Love was not a tangible thing; it was just a word. A word I never wanted to hear from anyone. _

_Let alone someone like you; someone who lied to me, who used me to get what you wanted, and who shattered every single shred of my being with your idealistic world. _

_You were my best friend. That, to me, the way we protected each other, that was true partnership. You were my pal, my partner, my friend, my buddy, my little robot companion. Talwyn said that love is when you find someone you truly care for and want to protect, not necessarily someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe they're just a really close friend. _

_You know, I remember how we hated each other when we first met, how we argued all the time, how I loathed you with everything I had. Funny how saving the galaxy can change your ideas. We became best buddies, didn't we? Nice to know that you only thought of me as a body guard. Using me to get to your precious little Zoni and take over everything._

_You killed Sasha._

_You killed Angela._

_You killed Talwyn._

_You destroyed Veldin; my __**home**_

_You obliterated any chance I had of finding the Lombaxes! _

_Was that your idea of love, Clank? Demolishing everything we'd worked so hard to protect? That was love to you? Love to me…well, whatever it was, it was all those trials and whatever crap we'd been through. Not that you could feel any of that. You're an emotionless robot. You have no feelings. You just…do whatever. Right? _

_Why did you even __**pretend **__to care? Why did you even __**bother**__ with a lonely Lombax like me? Oh yeah…that's right…you were __**using**__ me. _

_Well, Clank, I hope you're having fun, decimating the universe and all that with those Zoni pals of yours. I hope you're having as much fun as we did when we were still friends. Kudos, robots don't have souls…I don't have to ever see your treacherous little face again. _

_If you're seeing this now then it must mean I'm dead. _

_I'd forgive you. _

_But it hurts too much. _

_You were my best and only friend._

_Remember that, if anything._

_-Ratchet_

----

"I messed up so badly this time…" Clank sighed, letting the holo-screen slide from his fingers, starring up with softly glowing green eyes at the blood splattered walls of the ruin of Fastoon, "And I am sorry, Ratchet, I am so very sorry."

Outside, the Zoni circled the skies, swooping like vultures over the carnage. It had been a long a difficult battle but in the end it had all been for nothing. Ratchet was dead. The portal to alternate dimension could now never be opened, the Lombaxes could never be freed, and all their careful planning had gone to waste.

"And to make it all the more worse," The tiny robot put a hand against the wall and ran his fingers across it, smearing red trails, "He hated me. All of it came down to nothing, though I was doing it all for his friendship, and he still hated me. Oh Ratchet, I am sorry."

--------

So you see, not all 'love stories' have a happy ending. Ratchet and Clank's friendship ended up shattered into pieces, leaving them both broken in the end, neither of them getting what they wanted.

Sorry about my total angst but it builds up and I must let it out or…yeah, this happens. Angst. Sorry. It's sad, I was getting a little tired of happy endings for a while so I tore everything to pieces.

Erm…bye?


	3. 003 Light

Oh, let's write another drabble. I feel like it. And I'm stuck on my other fan fictions.

**003: Light**

Flickering. Changing. Here, there, up, down, around, there it was again. There was no pattern. It just **was**. Blazing against his senses. So many senses. Sound. Taste. Touch. But the sight kept him mesmerized, his emerald eyes following it closely, tensed, ready. That light. So…hypnotizing…!

He knew they were laughing at him but, man, every time it moved it just sort of captivated him and he couldn't look away! He had to get it! He had to! He jumped at it, missed, slammed his head into the wall, shook himself, and ran after it again.

It was just a freaking laser pointer! But it was so cool! Ratchet had probably been chasing the little red dot for almost an hour and wasn't in the least bit tired of doing so. And Angela and Clank weren't tired of laughing at him either.

It had been an accident. Ratchet and Clank had been helping Angela clean up after a visit (Ratchet was the one making most of the mess) and she had stumbled across the laser pointer.

"Hey, check this out!" She clicked it on and spun it across the wall, "I can't believe I still have this piece of junk…!"

Ratchet's ears were pricked as he spun, following the glowing red spot with wide green eyes, fascinated. Clank noticed, chuckled, and nudged Angela's leg, pointing at his partner. Angela snickered and stopped moving the pointer. Ratchet edged closer, tensed, and leapt, slamming right into the wall as Angela whipped the laser away and pointed it at the ceiling.

It had all gone on from there.

"Stop…moving you stupid…little…GAH!" A face planted into the floor and rolled over, snuffling, pawing at his nose, one ear drooping, "Why can't I get it!?" He knew why he couldn't, he was just whining, he wanted to catch the stupid thing and make it stop making him look like an idiot.

"Ratchet, you do realize it is just a laser pointer, don't you?" Clank asked, unable to keep the laughter from his voice.

"I kkkknnnnnoooooowwwww!" Ratchet whined, sitting up on the floor and looking around for the laser dot, "But it's sooooo ccoooooolllllll!"

"Where's a holo-vid camera when you need one?" Angela giggled, swinging the laser back and forth slowly on the floor before the Lombax, "I would kill for one right now!"

"Do not worry," Clank responded in a low voice as Ratchet attempted to dive underneath a sofa where he presumed the dot had vanished to, "I have the whole thing stored in my memory banks. It should not take that much work to duplicate and copy onto a holo-vid."

The two fell about laughing as the galaxy's hero continued to chase around a little point of light he would never catch.

------

Cruddy symbolism showing up in that last sentence…darn you.

Oh, this is hilarious to me! Absolutely hilarious! Can't you just see that!? Ratchet chasing after a laser pointer!? I've gotta draw this!


	4. 004 Dark

I realized I'd forgotten to do a disclaimer for this! I don't own Ratchet and Clank or anything associated with the series! There. I'm safe now.

This one was giving me trouble. Dark. Now, what the heck could I do for that…?

**004: Dark**

It controlled him, it steered his every thought, his every word, his every action. Every bit of him was flooded with the fires of it, burning inside, tearing at him, moving his body like it belonged to it. And it did. He was it. It was him. He had spawned it, nourished it, let it grow inside him until it had exploded and taken him over. And he relished in the power it gave him.

_Hate._

Abhorrence, detestation, odium, revulsion, disgust, loathing; call it whatever you liked it was still hate at the core. And it fueled him. He had no motivation anymore, just the lust of destruction to the ones whom he hated.

All those people who'd gotten in his way, tortured him, hurt his friends, hurt him, stolen his happiness, corrupted the world, and had just plain pissed him off. Those were all the people he hated. Most of them had been taken care of already because they were villains and their evil schemes had to be stopped. But there were others out there. Plenty more he could extract his revenge upon.

Guns blazed, the smell of burnt flesh seared his nose, screams rang out through the thick smoky air, and he ran through it all, firing away, blasting down his foes, devastation reigning behind him.

_Hate._

His fur was singed in places, blood dripped from the few wounds he had, and his green eyes were radiating as he paused atop a ruined building.

"Ratchet…! Clank had been trying to talk to him for the past couple of hours but the Lombax had lost all sense when the rage had filled him, "What have you done…!?"

His breathing slowed, he felt limp as the hatred rushed out of him, his ears sagged.

"This is horrible…! You've completely decimated the city…!"

The gun felt heavy in his hands and he dropped it in horror, starring out across the damage he'd caused, chest heavy, struggling for words, finding none.

"The carnage…I never thought you were-." Brilliant blue electricity zapped across his back he cried out, arching away, the lifeless form of his robot companion clattering to the ground.

"Clank…?"

The eyes were dimmed, the metal twisted and burnt.

"Clank, come on, buddy, answer me…!"

No answer.

"He's gone."

"No!" Ratchet spun, facing the dark figure that had detached itself from the shadows, "No, bring him back! Bring him back!"

"You bring him back." The figure hissed, "You killed him. All this destruction and terror…**you** caused it."

"I…I…" Ratchet stuttered with his words, eyes burning, sagging to his knees.

"You did well." A hand on his head, ruffling the golden bangs between his large ears as he starred at the ground, at the blood pooling from a wound in his side, "The darkness spreads within you, the hatred chases the light from your veins. Come along, Lombax, there are worlds to destroy and vendettas to hand out."

"I know, Master," Ratchet moaned, "But he wasn't supposed to get hurt."

"You weren't strong enough." The figure replied, pulling Ratchet to his feet, "Let's go, gather up your weapons, the Dark Cluster awaits your reports."

Ratchet grabbed his gun and started following the figure he called Master. Then he paused, turned back to Clank, and closed the robots eyes. It was the least he could do for a friend. The only friend who had stuck with him after he'd joined sides with the Dark Cluster, the darkness, in the war. A war of Light and Darkness. And he'd chosen the winning side.

_Hate._

_Heart break._

_Darkness._

------

Wow, I just totally made Ratchet evil and killed Clank. Something is **wrong** with me today…!


	5. 063 Do Not Disturb

Okay, forget doing all the 'Hundred Themes' in order. I can't do it. I have to many ideas that I just can't hold in and must let them spew forth! XO RRRAAAWWWRRR!

**063: Do Not Disturb**

"Come on, let's go down to the old garage on the outskirts! It'll be awesome!" One of the boys shouted, jumping up and down, "Right now! Let's go!"

"Dude, isn't it haunted!?" Cried his friend, racing to catch up with him, "Like, by a ghost!?"

"Aw, please!" Moaned one of the girls in the group, rolling her eyes, "There's no such thing as ghosts!"

"No, really!" Laughed the first boy, "They say that it's haunted by the ghost of a Great Lombax Warrior who died defending this planet from some aliens!"

"I'm game!" Called the second girl, grinning, "Race you!"

And the four kids dashed down the streets, laughing, trying to get ahead of one another. But as soon as they left town they slowed to a walk, chatting amiably about school, home, food, and other common topics among the young folks of Veldin.

"Shhhh!" Giggled one of the girls, the one who had challenged the race, "We're close, come on, let's sneak up there real quiet like and maybe we'll get to see the ghost!"

After several moments of giggling and hushing noises, they started moving through the tall, unkempt grass that grew all around the abandoned garage. Parting the tall reeds, they gazed at the rusty metal and rotten boards in awe and wonder, sharing looks and trying not to be the one who had to go out first.

Finally, the first boy screwed up his face into a determined but slightly terrified scowl and slinked forward towards the ruined building. Standing about ten feet away, he grinned and waved his arms, motioning for the others to come out.

"_What are you doing here?"_

It wasn't exactly a scary voice; it was medium, warm, with a harsh tone to it, and had a teasing sort of edge to it, like it knew they weren't supposed to be there. And it echoed.

"Wh-what!?" The boy jumped and spun around, eyes as big as diner plates, "Wh-wh-who said that!?"

"_I asked you first. What're you doing here?"_

"We came to see the ghost!" Shouted the second girl and her friend clapped a hand over her mouth.

"_Ghost?"_ The voice didn't sound so friendly anymore, _"Me? You came to see me?"_ A figure, translucent in the dusk, glowing white at the edges, stepped out of the shadows of the garage, _"Well, I am honored. Hey kiddies…!"_

He was well built, athletic looking, with golden fur that gleamed in his own light, piercing green eyes that had seen a lot, and a smirk on his face. He was a Lombax, they recognized the race from their text books, there was no doubt. But he was dead.

"G-g-g-g-g-GHOST!" Screamed the second boy and he and the two girls screeched bloody murder and ran off back towards town, leaving their friend behind to stare with short gasps of breath at the Lombax ghost.

"_So,"_ The voice was sad now, the ears drooping, _"Are you gonna run away too?"_

The boy stood stock still for a few moments.

"Are you…did you really die protecting Veldin?" He asked.

"_Yeah…"_ Distant, now, like the Lombax was remembering something, _"Both of us protected it…and only one survived."_

"I don't think you're real." The boy muttered, "I think you're some sort of program of a security system that made itself up and went haywire."

And with that, he turned and ran.

The ghost sighed and crossed his legs, sitting in mid air, chin in his hands, tail swishing back and forth. He sighed again and it sounded strange with his echoing tone. As the night crept in closer, his glow became more prominent.

"They don't believe in you anymore, do they?" Asked a voice and a robot walked out, his metal frame reflecting the Lombax's ghostly light.

"_Nope, but hey, can you blame them? It's been over 150 years since I saved the planet and died doing it. No one remembers the Last Lombax Warrior anymore…"_

"You sound a little upset about that," The robot sat on a rock, his eyes glowing a soft, mechanical green in the darkness, "I thought you liked being left alone."

"_Yeah, yeah, I do."_ The ghost leaned back, still floating in the air, so he was stretched out parallel with the ground, hands behind his head, gazing up at the stars, _"But…what that kid said sort of got to me. He pretty much told me I don't exist."_

The robot didn't a response for that. The duo sat under the stars in silence, starring up at the constellations, lost in their own thoughts.

"_We never did find out why I'm still here."_

"Indeed, we didn't. Do you want to start looking again?"

"_After 50 years of trying to find out why I never passed on and 100 years of sitting on my rear feeling sorry for myself…"_ The ghost sat up with a wide grin, _"Yeah, I think a little truth hunting could do me some good…!"_

"It's nice to have you back, Ratchet."

"_I try Clank, I try."_

--------

Sort of cute-sad one there, I like it. Dunno where it came from exactly but I like it all the same. At least it's not morbidly twisted like my other ones…! Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, don't it:D


	6. 011 Memory

I haven't done a Lombax Kisses drabble in a while, have I? No, I haven't. I bet some people are anxious for some, right? Well, have no fear for the next one is here!

**011: Memory**

He hadn't always been living at the orphanage, I knew that much. I'd only been to visit the place a couple of times because that was where my sister worked but it was enough for me to get to know him. He seemed to latch onto me as a friend. I'd asked my sister once about him.

"Oh, _Xiolay_?" She'd responded, calling him 'little lost one' in our native language, "We don't know where he came from or where he was going. We found him two years ago among the wreckage of an escape pod, his head split and bleeding. I guess it was the conk on the head that made him lose his memory and he had no identification whatsoever."

"What about the computer system?"

"The computers didn't even recognize him. They could only tell us one thing; that he's a Lombax."

That was nothing. I'd already known that from the moment I'd seen him. He was cute, funny, and had a problem with his temper; he couldn't be more then eighteen or nineteen. Everyone called him _Xiolay_ which he'd sort of taken on as his name.

"Heyo, _Xiolay_!" I had come to visit once again but this time it was for him and not for my sister, "Whatcha' doin'?"

"Fixing the holo-screen," He murmured in reply, concentrating on his work, "Horz broke it."

"Mm." I sat beside him at the small table, grinning, despite myself. I didn't understand him in the least. At times he was exuberant and all athletic but sometimes he totally shut down, like he was thinking about something or trying to remember things.

"I had a dream last night, Labil," He put down his tools and trained his vivid green eyes on me, golden bangs slipping over the short patch of fur on his forehead, covering the still visible scar there, "With guns and death and a robot talking to me."

"Yeah…?" I'd known he'd had dreams but I'd never questioned him about them, they seemed to make him sad. But now, it seemed, he was ready to open up so I smoothed out my skirt, sat back, and looked at him with what I hoped was a warm curiosity to let him know I was there for him.

"Eh…" He turned away and set down his tools, his fuzzy tail twitching in agitation, "It's sort of hazy but…" His brow scrunched as he tried to remember, "I was on a starship…there was smoke and bullets everywhere…blood…screaming…" His large ears drooped for some reason I didn't know, "Someone was calling me, they were saying my name but I couldn't hear it, I just know they were."

"Hey, you gonna be alright? You're shivering." I gently put my hand on his shoulder and he immediately stiffened. I drew back, wondering if I'd broken some sort of sacred Lombax code by touching him. But he continued on, regardless.

"I remember…I remember a…a face…sort of…" He raised an eyebrow inquisitively at his own strange statement, "It was a female…I felt…like I really had to protect her so I ran towards her but…but…" He took a deep breath and forced himself to continue, "She grabbed me and pushed me away…into an escape pod, I think…and then…and then space was flying by and I was…was watching the starship exploding…the pod was hit…I careened out of control…I crashed…"

"Ah, _Xiolay_, you're crying." I muttered, biting my lip as soon as the words left my mouth. He rubbed his eyes furiously.

"_Xiolay_?" I looked around and saw my sister leaning through the doorway, "Oh, Libel, I didn't realize you were here…" It sounded as though she didn't want me to be there.

"What?" He said at the same time I did and I felt a light heat tint my cheeks.

"Uh…" My sister looked from myself to _Xiolay_, "_Xiolay_, there's someone here to see you."

His ears pricked up and I felt my heart beat do the same. He wasn't leaving was he?

"Ratchet?" A raccoon like alien girl with large eyes and a pathetic excuse for a tail stepped into the room beside my sister, her eyes widening when they alighted upon him, "Ratchet! It is you! Oh my goodness! I can't believe it, we we're all so worried!" She leapt across the room and threw her arms around him, dragging him from the chair, tears springing into her eyes, "We all thought you were dead but Clank kept insisting that you weren't and so we spent two years trying to track you down!" She was talking very fast, "I never thought we'd actually find you I was so ready to give up hope and then we were searching every computer file we could and came across this place's stash and, oh my goodness, I nearly fainted when I say your name!"

"Wha…What…?" Everything froze. The woman practically dropped him on the floor as she looked him up and down. My sister and I both had identical looks of shock on our faces.

"Ratchet, it's me, Sasha." He pushed her away and backed away, tripping over the chair as he went, ears flat and fur bristled, "Come on, we're all waiting for you. Clank's tied his wires into so many knots over the past couple of years I'm surprised he didn't short circuit or anything…!"

"Clank…?" The Lombax put a hand to his head, right over his healed injury, squinting his eyes, brow furrowed, "I…I thought…you and Clank and everyone…" His greens eyes widened, lighting up unexpectedly, "The starship!"

"_Xiolay_…?" I whispered but he didn't hear me.

"The star ship was attacked! I remember it now!" He smiled but it wasn't at me it was at Sasha, "I remember how we fought back and…and…" His features fell into a worried look, "But…the explosion…I thought you'd been-."

"Ratchet, we all survived! The Starship Phoenix didn't make it but that doesn't matter! We're all alive and we're waiting for you to come home!" She held out her hand, "It's okay. Everything's gonna be all better now."

Ratchet paused for a moment or two and then grasped her hand in his. I'd never seen his eyes so bright with happiness. It hurt. As I watched them scramble aboard a small shuttle a while later, I realized I was crying. Had I…could it be that I…that I had fallen for him?

"Libel?" My sister wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "Why're you crying?"

"Not…" I muttered sullenly, realizing I was lying to myself again, "Just…just the stupid wind from the shuttle when it…took off."

"You are a terrible liar." She reprimanded me, "I know you really liked _Xio_—I mean—Ratchet but he belongs with his **real** friends and family. Those are his real memories. He can't start new ones here and you can't expect his loved ones to leave him be."

"Mmmm…" I whined, looking at the ground feeling selfish.

"Some memories, dear sister, are meant to be forgotten."

* * *

'Twas a rather depressing one, I think. I wanted to write one that was from someone else's view, someone that wasn't in any of the games and I think it turned out pretty good. Libel and her sister aren't anyone important, I just made them up for the sake of this one shot. A one shot that now seems awfully cliché but, hey, maybe that's just me.

So, thanks for reading and please leave me a review! Byes!


	7. 073 I Can't

Um, this one seems to be a strange continuation of '004: Dark', which several people seem to like and think I should turn into a full length fic. Anyway…

**073: I Can't**

He'd done it so many times before so why should it matter now? Why was it such a big deal at this point? He chided himself, scowling darkly. His master would sure to slap him 'round the head for hesitating but…why was he hesitating in the first place?

His hatred for the Light was incredible; it gave him more power than anything in the entire living universe could; and he'd thrived on it for years, feeding it, nursing it through his training in the Dark arts. His master was proud of him. And yet, here he was with the target in sights and unable to pull the trigger.

_It will make you stronger._

Oh, he knew that. He knew that, by killing this one person, all those stupid emotions of compassion and all that crap would be engulfed by the black void that was his rage against the Light. It was the only way to survive. It was the only way to protect what little he had left.

A memory flashed through his mind…

_Brilliant blue electricity zapped across his back he cried out, arching away, the lifeless form of his robot companion clattering to the ground._

"_Clank…?"_

_The eyes were dimmed, the metal twisted and burnt._

"_Clank, come on, buddy, answer me…!"_

_No answer. _

"_He's gone." _

"_No!" Ratchet spun, facing the dark figure that had detached itself from the shadows, "No, bring him back! Bring him back!"_

"_You bring him back." The figure hissed, "You killed him. All this destruction and terror…__**you**__ caused it."_

"_I…I…" Ratchet stuttered with his words, eyes burning, sagging to his knees._

"_You did well." A hand on his head, ruffling the golden bangs between his large ears as he starred at the ground, at the blood pooling from a wound in his side, "The darkness spreads within you, the hatred chases the light from your veins. Come along, Lombax, there are worlds to destroy and vendettas to hand out."_

"_I know, Master," Ratchet moaned, "But he wasn't supposed to get hurt."_

"_You weren't strong enough."_

Not strong enough. Not strong enough to protect Clank when his best friend, the only friend he had left, had been struck down right before his eyes.

Anger flared like boiling lava inside him and he felt his fur bristle. Crouching lower still on his perch, he swung the sniping rifle back up, peering through the scope at the person still standing in the rain on the street, waiting. Waiting for him to show up. Well, he'd shown up just not in the sense that the person had thought.

His finger tightened on the trigger.

"This…this ends it all." He growled low, breath frosting from beneath his hood in the chill, night air, despite the rain.

Silence.

His hand shook.

He couldn't do it.

No matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise he just couldn't kill Sasha. Despite that she was part of the Light and, so, against him he just couldn't bring himself to kill her. Master was not going to be pleased.

"Why isn't she dead yet?" That cold voice made him feel very, very small.

"I can't…" Ratchet murmured, lowering the rifle, "I can't…"

* * *

Oooohhh, how do you like **them** snickerdoodles!? Nice one, eh? I


	8. 035 Hold My Hand

This is an event briefly mentioned in 'Tools of Destruction' where Ratchet is about to face off against Tachyon. **SPOILER!** That ugly little thing starts going on about how the only two Lombaxes left were a father and his infant son; who is (was?) Ratchet. For the purpose of this one shot I had to give his father a name: Damien. I think this is a rather fitting 100 Themes Challenge for the situation…

**035: Hold My Hand**

The explosions and ricocheting bullets that filled the air were enough to make anyone wet themselves, no matter how much of an experienced fighter they were. And practically every Lombax on Fastoon knew how to use a gun and sword in a fight. But they were being slaughtered.

Damien was running.

It was not for his own life, he was not a coward. If he could, he would have turned on the spot and started firing at the enemy with every ounce of strength he had in him, even if the fall of their race was inevitable. But he could do no such thing. To do that would be to betray the trust of his beloved, and now deceased, wife.

He had to make sure the boy survived.

This little pup who could barely speak was their future, their only chance. Once the plan of the High Lombax Council was activated and set into motion this little Ratchet would be the only one left to help them again.

"Hold…" He barely heard the soft coo of a whisper above the gunfire, "Hold…my…hold…"

Damien looked down briefly at the tiny boy in his arms, large ears drooping with exhaustion and pity. He hoped they little pup would be raised in the knowledge of his people. Somehow. Someway.

He stumbled into the room, looking around wildly. It was only a matter of time.

"Damien! Quickly Bring the chile he-AAARRRHHHHHHGGG!" A spray of crimson mist and Damien froze in his tracks.

"Hold…hold my…"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the last two Lombaxes on the planet?" A sneering, high-pitched voice sent a chill of horror up Damien's spine and he turned slowly to face the walking monstrosity that Tachyon leered at him from, "A father and his little infant son! How touching…that you should both die together!"

"I won't let you!" Damien snarled, hackles raised, baring his fangs and backing away slowly, "You can kill me but you will not kill this pup!" His blazing green eyes narrowed into hate-filled slits, "You're a monster. How can you do this to entire race of people!"

"People!?" Tachyon screeched, his voice high enough to crack glass, "**People**!? You got rid of **my** people! Why shouldn't I get rid of yours!?"

"Hold my…"

Damien reached behind him, keeping his eyes on Tachyon who was too busy laughing manically to notice. His fingers brushed across something and a light lit up inside him, like a dying fire being resparked. He could keep his promise to his race. To his wife. Tachyon was done gloating.

"And now, Lombax rat, you die…!" The Cragmite leveled a gun at the Lombax's chest, grinning insanely.

"So be it then!" Damien howled and slammed his fist onto the thing behind him, turning as he did. A swirl of shiny, blue-white light opened and the warrior Lombax held his arms out to it.

There was a bang and blood exploded from the front of his chest, spraying past his lips, and the Lombax pup flew from his arms and into the opening which vanished as soon as Damien slapped a bloody palm on what had opened it in the first place.

Tachyon howled in rage. But it was too late. The youngster was gone to who knew where. But at least his father was dead.

The pup in question felt himself fly through the air, through something strange that felt like water, and then land on something rather hard. He sniffled, large ears hanging down limply, his fuzzy tail twitching mournfully in the dirt, and looked around. This place was not at all like his home. It looked different, smelled different, felt different. He whimpered and curled into a tiny ball of golden fluff, tears running down his furry cheeks.

"Hold my hand…Daddy…"

* * *

Awwwwww, don't you just wanna pick him up and hug him tight and cuddle him!? Poor little Ratchet! He's so cute and all alone! Can we keep him?

Ahem, yes, anyway…I liked this one. Sad, angst, and yet cute and very fatherly at the same time. If I messed some things up it's because I haven't played the end in a while and I have a pretty bad memory when it comes to remembering little details. Thanks for the understanding!

And thanks for reading! Please leave me a review! Byes!


	9. Chess Game

Ah, the traumas of writing. You get stuck so you turn to your drabbles. But what if you get stuck on your drabbles? What then? Why, you turn to the video games, of course! Hoorah for video games! God bless the man who invented them!

Anyway, this is another continuation of '004: Dark', I guess. I like that one.

**Chess Game**

Ratchet rested his chin in one hand and drummed the fingers of his other hand on the glass and marble table top, impatient, ears flicking up and down. He'd lost track of time, sitting here at this table, playing chess; an old game from some underdeveloped part of the universe. Now that he realized just how much the game had distracted him, he was all for giving up and going to his quarters.

But that was against his nature.

Quitting was not a word that was in the Lombax's vocabulary, it never had been. Sure, there were times when he'd rather be sitting on the beaches of Pokitaru and sipping a cold one but he'd still prevailed against whatever stood in his way. Which is why he'd ended up joining the Dark Cluster. Because he never gave up.

He wondered if that was what Blue was trying to teach him. Patience.

A patience that could help him reign in his uncontrollable rage. When Ratchet lost his temper, he was swept into a flurry of red and hate that blurred everything around him into a battlefield that he had to conquer. His hatred was his drive, the one fool-proof weapon he had against the Light, the whole reason for his still existing after Clank had died.

His fist clenched on the marble and glass, ceasing the endless tapping of his claws on the polished surface. Blue's eerie red eyes traveled from the game board before her to Ratchet's anger-contorted features.

"Ratchet, control yourself." She murmured and then reached over and moved her ice-sculpture-like Knight to Ratchet's half of the board, "Checkmate."

Ratchet swore under his breath and carelessly flicked his frosted-glass king over with a scowl, burying his furry face in his arms. Blue cocked her head at him, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out why Ratchet was so angry with himself for losing a simple game of chess. It wasn't like it decided the fate of the universe.

"It's all one big freaking chess game, ain't Blue?" The Lombax's voice was muffled by his arms.

"What's a chess game?"

"This whole…war…thing…" He raised his head, his expression something like he didn't know if he wanted to be angry or upset, and twirled his hand like he could sum up the war between the Light and Dark with that simple motion, "It's like…chess."

"Really? How?"

"Ya' know…we're the Pawns," He put a finger on one of the small pieces and spun it around on its square, "Then there's the Rooks and the Bishops…" His green eyes traveled over to the two named pieces, "You know who they are?"

"Our Masters are the Rooks and the priests are the Bishops, right?"

"Mm-hm…" The Lombax absently moved his hand to the Knight piece, "And the Knight is the Loyal Guard of Night. Those creepy guys you see around the Citadel." Ratchet let the game piece fall from his fingers and went on to tip over the Queen so that it rolled to Blue's side of the board, "And the Queen represents the leaders of the Dark Cluster."

"A game of chess, huh?" Blue telekinetically picked Ratchet's King from across the board but as it floated upward he snatched it out of the air, breaking her mental concentration, "Then who's the King?"

Her red eyes were locked upon the golden-furred Lombax as he spun the King in his fingers, looking at it curiously.

"The King…" He murmured, "Clank would have known…" He suddenly smiled but it was cold, "I know."

"What?"

"The King's the one who's left standing at the end of this war."

* * *

There we have it, another drabble for '004: Dark.' I'm starting to get really attached to that story line, I hope I don't take it into an actual full-length fiction.


	10. 056 Danger Ahead

I want to hug a Lombax…

**056: Danger Ahead**

A golden blur bounced up the side of the building with impossible speed, racing perpendicular to the ground. Bullets and lasers shot past the blur, ricocheting off the steel and glass of the building, barely missing their intended target, and angry cries rent the air as the mechanical soldiers on the ground watched their prey escape onto one of the high towers many balconies. Their leader would be most displeased.

On the balcony, Ratchet kicked the steel and glass double doors open and rolled inside, pointing his bladed guns around the room, ears flat back and golden fur bristled with the tension he felt coursing through him with the adrenaline. Finally, after a moment or two, he relaxed and stuck his weapons into their holsters at his hips, green eyes flickering over the room, not for enemies this time but to simply sate his curiosity.

"Ratchet, we need to move. It's only a matter of time before the guards inside are contacted." Clank said, still hanging off his partner's back, "And fighting in the halls with nowhere to duck is a little more than dangerous."

"Mm…" The Lombax grunted in response but did move towards the door, instead striding over to a tall, metal cabinet.

"Ratchet….what are you doing?"

"Hunting." Ratchet opened the doors and he growled, "And I'm catching my prey too…"

"Ratchet." This time the robot's voice was a warning.

"Shhhh." Lashing his tail around, Ratchet scrambled into the cabinet and walked down the cool, dark, steel hall that was a not-so-secret passage way, "I think we can bypass all those guards and security."

"It's never a good thing when you say "I think"…"

"Pessimist."

The hall twisted and turned and there were several intersections where Ratchet had to guess (much to Clank's displeasure) which way he should go. The only sounds were his breathing, his footsteps, and the occasional conversations he and his robot companion shared. These talks were brief and usually ended with Ratchet insulting his friend in a playful manner.

Still, past all his bravado antics and bad-boy snaps, the Lombax couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen. It was the sort of feeling he got when someone was behind him with a gun pointed at his back…the kind of gun that could blast his innards out. His hackles rose at the thought.

He felt Clank shift on his back and dropped to the floor just a thick, red laser swept over the hall. Had he still been standing it would have taken his head off. As he glanced up, more red lights reflected in his green eyes.

"Hey Clank."

"Yes?"

"You think there's going to be trouble?"

"Not so much as trouble as danger."

"So, danger ahead, huh? Well then…bring it on."

* * *

I think that one was a little lame. Maybe that's just me. I dunno.


	11. 061 Fairy Tale

Stuck. Stuck on everything so, you know…drabbles…

AU world sort of thing; Clank's a humanoid in this one, not a robot. Just thought I'd clear that up for you.

Enjoy…!

* * *

**061: Fairy Tale**

* * *

Clank ran through the darkening forest, trying to get away from the past he hated. The horrible hate filled gazes of his fellow villagers, the jeers and curses, the inability to do anything or go anywhere without being picked on, beat up, or have something thrown at him.

It was hardly his fault he had no family.

He couldn't be held responsible for the fact that he was abandoned as a baby.

A half-human, half-elf baby.

Humans hated any race above their own; this, unfortunately for young Clank, included elves and practically any of the other races throughout the Veldin Realms.

And so he ran away from all the ridicule and into the dark forest in the hopes of finding something to ease his pain. Even if it was death he'd meet it head on and—.

"What're you doing?"

Clank heard the chilling voice before he saw the figure in front of him and, unable to slow his momentum, slammed right into the person, falling back onto the grass as though he'd run into a brick wall. Rubbing a hand through his silver hair to check for a bruise, he slowly turned his neon green eyes upward.

"I asked you what you were doing?"

Before him stood a short creature whose golden fur sported deep streaks of natural black, large furry ears that swept forward to catch Clank's stuttering reply, and a curling tail. The creature wore nothing but a pair of black pants and a swirling dark violet cloak it kept wrapped tightly around one side of its body. In the darkness, one of its eyes gleamed emerald green while the other shone an unearthly crimson.

"R-r-running…!" Clank stuttered, scared of this strange being.

The figure sniffed the air and then knelt down so that it was eye level with the half-elf, blinking slowly at him, "You're not all human, are you?" The cold voice had taken on a warmer tone though it still sent chills up Clank's spine, "No…you're half-elf."

"And what manner of creature be you!" The boy blurted out before he could stop himself.

A dark chuckle of amusement.

"Me? Well lad, I'm a Vampex."

Clank couldn't restrain a gasp. He'd heard of Vampexes; vampyric animal-like creatures that fed like their humanoid cousins but, like many others, thought them merely legends created to scare kids into getting into bed before dark.

"Your blood…" The Vampex leaned in, sniffing again, "Smells so sweet and pure…" He grinned, flashing a set of dangerous fangs, "Pardon my…hunger, lad, but I haven't fed in quite a long while."

"D-don't!" Clank stuttered, backing away, "Don't hurt me!"

"Don't hurt you?" The Vampex drew back, head cocked to the side in wonderment, "Why would I hurt you?" Realization flickered in those different colored eyes, "Oh, I see, you think I'm going to kill you!"

Laughter. The Vampex laughed out loud, throwing his head back and roaring with mirth, eyes squeezed shut, tail lashing the ground, chest heaving, and his ringing voice echoing through the thick trees. Finally, he let the laughter die down to soft giggles of hilarity and, brushing some tears from his eyes, looked back at Clank.

"Silly, lad. I don't intended to kill you." In a flash, those sharp fangs were a hairs breath from Clank's neck, "I intended to make you the very first elvin-vampire."

The pain of those fangs sinking into his flesh was the worst sort of pain Clank had ever felt. He writhed and screamed beneath the strong grasp of the Vampex, clawing at the earth beneath him, feeling the blood welling past the holes in his skin, feeling the ice cold breath of the Vampex, knowing he was really going to die.

_So…this is the end…_

"_There is no end, lad, there are only beginnings."_

_B-beginnings? Beginnings to what?_

"_To the future, perhaps, or to your hearts desires. Things unknown to all."_

_Who are you?_

"_Me? Well, lad, I am the wandering Vampex Ratchet. And you are?"_

_I…I suppose I'm…the wandering Vampelf Clank._

"_Pleasures…"_

* * *

Blech, this one turned out like crap, not at all like I wanted it to. Darn it all. Hm, but in a way I guess it's not that bad…


	12. 075 Mirror

Wow! It's been a while since I did a drabble, huh? Where the heck have I been? Well, I think you excellent peoples deserve this! It's from Ratchet's POV and probably takes place between the third and fourth games.

* * *

**075: Mirror**

* * *

I stretched and rolled over, yawning loudly as I did so, not caring if I woke Clank up. It was early morning—well, as mornings went in the middle of space—and I was in no mood to get out of bed. Let Al handle the Starship Phoenix for a while.

But it was too late. I had woken up and now there was no falling back into welcoming confines of sleep. Still, I wasn't going to lie underneath the warm, comfortable sheets all morning just to see if I **could** go back to sleep. Time for a hot, relaxing shower.

"Ratchet…" Clank's voice was tired and a little annoyed as I thumped out of bed and stumbled towards the showers, rubbing my eyes and making plenty of excess noise.

"Shove it." I muttered, "Sleepy Lombaxes make lots of noises."

"Sleepy Lombaxes are going to be shaved bald if they don't be quiet." The threat was empty but it was enough to make me be at least a little quieter. Who knew, maybe Clank would really follow through with all his threats one day.

"Now what would be worse?" I wondered aloud, setting a dry set of clothes on the counter under the mirror and wriggling out of my bedclothes, "Pink fur or no fur?" I couldn't keep a grin off my face as I turned on the water and waited for it to heat up, "I can't decide, they both sound too horrid to think about."

Steam began to rise over the top of the shower curtain and I drew it back, stepping underneath the water tentatively. I relaxed almost as soon as the hot liquid splashed over my golden fur.

I spent maybe half and hour under the water and then another hour trying to dry myself off. Keyword: trying. You try to dry yourself off when ever inch of you is covered in fur that goes 'poof' when you rub it with a towel too much. I preferred a towel to the automatic dryer; I came out of that thing looking like I'd stuck my finger into an electrical socket. Not pretty.

As I stepped up to the counter, reaching for my clothes and still trying to dry my ears off, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. What rag-tag mess I looked, even after a shower. Even during a nasty firefight and weeks stranded on a planet filled with nothing but hostiles I never looked this bad. I guess it's true what they say about war; it's only when you leave the battlefield that everything starts catching up to you.

Not only was my usually sleek golden fur standing out every which way, I could see the scars from some of the nastier hits I'd taken. I examined the forever shorter bit of fur on my left shoulder due to a laser burn from that jerk Dr. Nefarious, poked the bite marks that dug deep into my side from the Protopet incident when Qwark had made the original little one huge, and traced with one clawed finger the dark and long healed tissue of the gash that had cut open my middle given to me by a flying chunk of rock when Drek had tried to destroy Veldin. Yep, battle scars alright.

"Reminiscing?" Came a voice and I jumped, jerking the towel around my waist and looking about, wild-eyed, until my green eyes finally settled on Clank who had what could undoubtedly be a smirk on his face.

"Clank!" I snapped, "Knock! I was naked!"

"What exactly **where** you doing?"

I felt my face heat up under my fur, "Looking."

"At what?"

"Scars." I gestured vaguely to the mirror with my free hand.

Clank gave me a once over and then locked his gaze with mine. We had a glare-down for a few minutes and then my robot companion broke away, turned, and walked back into our quarters, muttering.

"What? What'd I do? You only act like that when I do something wrong!" I staggered after him, trying to pull my pants on and follow him at the same time.

"You did nothing wrong, Ratchet," Clank was amused at my actions, even if he was trying to hide it; I could tell by the way he simply walked right out of the room and towards the Bridge. Usually he'd accompany me to breakfast, "You were simply being you."

"That doesn't make any sense!" I shouted as he vanished and then crossed my arms in a huff, stalking towards the Food Court, "Cryptic weirdo…" I caught sight of myself in the glass panels of the Phoenix's walls, "Stupid mirrors." I dashed back to the showers to flatten my ruffled fur.

* * *

Hm, maybe it's just me but this seemed a little weird. Still, I like the idea that Ratchet has scars from all the fights he's been in, even if you can't see them. (snigger) That's why he wears full body armor.

Just for kicks, the next chapter's going to be an excerpt from my Danny Phantom fan fiction 'Melody in Red 2: Conspiracy of Crimson' because I do have this lovely little rant I throw in there between Danny and a character of mine named ZeE.

Thanks for reading, sorry I haven't posted one of these in a while, and please leave a review! Have an awesome day! Byes!


	13. Melody in Red passage

Well, here's that little passage I said would be in here. I like Ratchet and Clank a lot, they're really good for just making things explode! XD

* * *

**Melody in Red 2: Conspiracy of Crimson, Chapter Seven**

* * *

"Yeah, well, it's not like you exactly **need** the Trillium Armor to get through it on Challenge Mode…!"

"Have you **fought** against Captain Slag on Challenge Mode!? He's a frigging beast!"

"Dude, Captain Slag is eeeaaasssssyyyyy! Now Fastoon the second time around, with all the invading Cragmites and what-not, **that** was hard! I can't count how many times I got my butt kicked!"

"You got killed on Fastoon!? Are you stupid!? What'd you do, use your wrench!?"

"Shut up!"

"Tch, make me! I bet your Deadlocked Ratchet sucked!"

"Hey! I rock on Deadlocked!"

"I'll bet! Against, what, five year olds!?"

"Cut it out!"

* * *

Hee hee, oh yes! Danny and Tucker go against each other on Deadlocked all the time. Deadlocked's cool too but I prefer the second one. Yaaaah, Jak and Daxter are in there!

Isn't it funny hearing James Arnold Taylor playing someone else when you're so used to him being Ratchet? Like, a month ago or something, I was watching the TMNT movie and was like: "Smoley hokes! Leonardo is played by James Arnold Taylor!? What the crap!?" And then he's Iceman, I think, in the PS3 game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Mmmm, who else is he? Jack Sparrow and Timon in Kingdom Hearts 2, Walker in Danny Phantom, and, of course, our loveable Lombax hero in all but the first Ratchet and Clank games! And Jak X too!

Oooooohhhh. I'm a nerd.


	14. 087 Food

Wow! Where have my Ratchet and Clank drabbles been!? Dang! I've been away from these for quite a while! Good thing I just got inspo…XD After Tools of Destruction.

**Notes:** _Europa—Living Mother Moon, soul of the world, wishes come true when turned on a silver coin, Greek._

* * *

**087: Food**

* * *

"Oh, so you're the new guy?" Europa stumbled as the tall, black robed doctor clapped him hard on the back with a huge grin, "Welcome!"

"Eh, y-yeah…" Europa felt his face flush. This was his career of choice; containing warriors or creatures that had gotten too strong for their own good or had just plain snapped; but now that he was actually here it was slightly overwhelming. Light Water was an institution on a small, lonely planet at the edges of a rather fruitful galaxy. The planet itself was mostly forests and fields and beautiful sparkling lakes with occasional building mingling perfectly with the natural habitation. It was the ideal place to keep dangerous people out of the public's eye.

"So why don't I introduce you to who you'll be working with?" The doctor smiled again and Europa nodded, swallowing thickly, and started following the doctor, "I'm Nezzer, by the way, Dr. Nezzer Wallz. Now, you will be in this hall with Scott and Rose."

They turned around a corner and Europa blinked around him. On the left wall was a line of steel doors, six in all, and on the right wall there stood three more steel doors that did not look quite as reinforced as the ones on the left. Europa stood for a moment to take in the sight and then hurried after Nezzer who did not stop when Europa had.

"There are only five patients currently living in this hall. Scott handles those two," Nezzer pointed to the first two doors, "And Rose cares for those two." He indicated the next two doors, "As such, their rooms are right across from them." He gestured vaguely to the first two doors across the hall from the four he'd just specified, "You, Europa, will be in charge of this one down here."

Europa jumped and followed Nezzer to the very end of the hall where the doctor pulled a keycard out of an inside pocket and pressed it briefly against the flashing panel beside the door before pushing the card in Europe's hand and motioning him inside.

"Ratchet, do have a minute?" Nezzer asked as they headed inside.

The room was comfortable in the sort of I'd-rather-be-out-in-space-hunting-down-monsters-than-stuck-in-here sort of way. The carpet in the living room was a light, pale blue, the walls were a white-cream, and the ceiling was a such a dark blue that it was almost black with stuck on glow-in-the-dark stars that lasted forever. A small white couch was set in front of a polished white and silver table where a game consul sat hooked up to a large plasma screen. The door to the tiny kitchen was open, revealing a black and white tiled floor with black marble counters and silver cabinets and kitchen hardware. The leftovers of a meal seemed to have been forgotten on the table inside. The only other door was closed.

"Ratchet?" Nezzer walked further into the room with Europa following hesitantly behind, looking around warily, "Ratchet, are you alright?"

The closed door across the room clicked and slid open with a hiss. Europa bit back a gasp. A Lombax walked slowly into the living room, his emerald green eyes flickering from Nezzer to Europa and then to the couch where he sat down with a sigh, his sleek golden fur shining in the white overhead lights.

"Ratchet, this is Europa Capricorn. Europa, this is Ratchet. The last Lombax in the universe." Nezzer grinned broadly and patted Europa on the back before leading him back to the door and whispering softly, "Ratchet's a bit of a rarity. Don't rub it in his face that he's here, he doesn't like that. The main thing just to be a pal, he…he just needs friends."

"Erm, Dr. Wallz, why is he in here?"

"Had a rather nasty run in with some foreign chemicals. _Raritus Mutinieus Explisium_, to be exact." At the confused look on Europa's face, Nezzer laughed and said, "Raritanium Ectoplasm, a very rare and very hard to come-by liquid from the planet Rectar. It's not meant for contact with living tissue." Nezzer lowered his voice so the Europa had to lean in to hear him, "Ratchet fell in a batch of the stuff and hasn't been the same since."

"Wh-what happened?"

"Don't know. He won't tell us. Apparently it was something really bad though." The man's face brightened, "But don't worry! He shouldn't be a problem! He put himself in here, you know." Nezzer turned to go, "Oh, one thing, don't verse him in Planet War 5."

"Why not?"

"He'll kick your sorry butt."

Europe faced the living room again, tucking the keycard safely away, as Nezzer left and the door slid shut behind him. Ratchet was leaning back on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table, watching the plasma screen with apparent interest where a young man in a tight-fitting, red and blue suit was fighting what appeared to be a giant man made out of sand.

_Earth movies,_ Europe thought as he shuffled around the back of the couch and sat down almost on the arm opposite the Lombax, _So primitive and yet so very entertaining._

"So," Europa jumped and looked around at Ratchet who was looking at him with a sort of mild curiosity, "What planet you from?"

"Um, Inimeg."

"Mm, I think I met a guy from there once. Kind of a fat guy, plumber, always said the weirdest stuff. Not to mention did the grossest things I could ever think of." Ratchet made a comical face, sticking out his tongue at the memories, "Never had a name. We just called him The Plumber. Know him?"

"Yeah, actually. I ran into him in on Metropolis where I was doing part of my training. But I don't think he's from Inimeg, we have more slender builds. Still, he seemed like an okay guy, a little smelly maybe, but okay."

Ratchet laughed and turned back to the plasma screen where the red and blue suit had magically turned black and the young man was jumping off rooftops in it. Apparently he was content with Europa's answer.

"Where are you from?" Europa asked casually and then sort of wished he hadn't. Ratchet seized up and his fur bristled. He almost looked like he was going to sick.

"Fastoon." He responded stiffly, "But I can't actually remember living there. I grew up on Veldin."

"I like Veldin." Europa said in a conversational tone, "I've got a cousin who works on the towers there. The locals always make really good soup." He grinned at the memories, "I haven't that stuff for nearly a year now!"

"You liked Veldian soup?" Ratchet raised an eyebrow and dropped an ear while perking the other up, the animal kingdom sign for confusion, "Nobody I've never met anyone who liked Veldian soup. They all thought it was gross."

"Really? I love the stuff."

Ratchet's features brightened, "I can make some."

"Seriously!?" Europa straightened in his seat, looking excited, "Could you, please?"

"Sure! Come on!" Europa followed Ratchet into the kitchen where the Lombax started digging into the cupboards and pulling out foods and dishes. He swept the leftovers still on the table into a garbage can and motioned for Europa to sit down in a vacant chair, "Have a seat! This is great! I haven't made Veldian soup for anyone since—." He stopped and shook his head, "Well that doesn't matter."

Europa watched as Ratchet stirred his ingredients into a medium sized bowl and head towards to the auto-heating stove. The Lombax stopped halfway there and glanced at Europa.

"Wanna see something cool?"

Europa frowned, puzzled, "Cool?"

"Oh, ah, I meant, did you want to see something interesting?"

"Sure."

"Awesome." Ratchet held his hand out and placed the bowl on it, balancing it there with his other hand. His brow furrowed, his ears twitched backward, and an odd, neon bluish glow swirled around the edges of his frame. A few seconds later, there was a short burst of flame and the soup was bubbling away. Europa gasped and felt his jaw drop.

Ratchet laughed at his expression and set the bowl on the table, tossing a shallow bowl and a spoon to Europa before seating himself, "I haven't shown that to anyone. It's how I cook most of my food nowadays. Tell you what, it saves this place a big bill. We Lombaxes hate the cold and like foods that our hot and cooked."

The rest of the day went fairly well. After Europe and Ratchet had finished their Veldian soup, Ratchet smugly challenged Europa to a game of Planet War 5 and promptly kicked his sorry rear. Then after enduring a completely humiliating round of insults from the Lombax (who knew that furry little rodents had such colorful language), Europa decided he had had enough and quickly outsmarted the Lombax in a game of chess which Ratchet immediately said he hated after losing. The day ended with Europa fervently trying to convince Ratchet that he had, in fact, never been to a planet called Pokitaru and that, no, he had no desire to try out the resort there.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ratchet." Europa stretched and stifled a yawn, walking over to the door, "Bye."

When he got no response, he turned around to see Ratchet had disappeared and the lock to the Lombax's bedroom door was blinking on the locked position. Puzzled by this behavior, Europa walked back across the hall and settled into his own lodgings, ready for another hearty day tomorrow.

But the next day brought on a wave of confusion and sorrow.

"Morning Ratchet! Hey, I thought I could make some—Ratchet?" Europa blinked at the Lombax who was growling at him, fur bristled, fangs bared, claws extended in a most primitive and predatory manner, "Ratchet, what's wrong?"

"Who're you?" The words stung and it took Europa a moment to gather himself up and realize what was going on.

_Oh my gosh…Chemical Induced Memory Relapse!_ Europe felt his eyes burn and his vision wavered as he looked at the distress written across the Lombax's face, _His memories of the past 24 hours are erased when the chemical he came into contact with; the Raritanium Ectoplasm; surges through his bloodstream!_

"I asked you who you were!" Ratchet snarled again, obviously angry with the intrusion.

"Europa Capricorn." Europa stated as calmly as he could in light of the fact that there was a very angry Lombax growling at him, "I…I had Veldian soup a couple of years ago and I just wanted to say that it was excellent and I heard that you make some really killer Veldian food so I was wondering if you…you know…could make me some?"

"You like Veldian soup? Everyone else thinks it's disgusting." Ratchet straightened up, flattening his fur, and Europa nodded, "Alright, come on then, if I have to."

_Okay, so, he's got secrets he won't tell anyone about, powers from the Raritanium Ectoplasm, not to mention that CIMR, and he's scary when he's angry. Yeah, I think I can handle him._

* * *

Hm, that's a little weird? What the heck happened to this one? It got all scientific and corny on me. That's so not cool. Oh well, at least I squeezed The Plumber in there somewhere! Yeah! He's so funny!

"Straight from the bowels of a King Amoeboid!"

XP Yuck!


	15. 025 Trouble Lurking

Haven't done a decent drabble in forever! Shame on me! Shame, shame, shame! Well, it was a good thing I felt the urgent need to blow things up today and played Tools of Destruction! Mwahahahaha! Omega Shredder Claws! Mwahahahahahahahaha!

* * *

**025: Trouble Lurking**

The periodically blinking red lights were beginning to mess with his vision. Ratchet tossed a Plasma Beast spawn over his shoulder and rolled through the door as it exploded upon the enemies behind him. His green eyes flicked upward to look through the protective glass of the Trillium Armor.

_Prisoner Hall—Section X-2._ Flashed across the top left corner of his vision. Who cared where he was he needed to get out! Breaking into Zordoom Prison to rescue Talwyn had been a brilliant idea…it was the breaking out part that was annoying the living daylights out of him.

_Enemy forces detected ahead. _The words blazed briefly.

"How many?" Ratchet hissed. The Trillium Armor picked up on his verbal patterns, transmitted them to the Intelligence Core of the suit, sorted them out, and organized the correct response. All of this was done in under half a second.

_Two. Armored Battle Suits active. Both enemies are equipped with Flame-Plasma Blasters._ The words scrolled down the left lens of the armor and Ratchet pulled the Judicator from the sub-space compartment located inside of Clank. He edged along the far wall, careful to keep away from the reaching arms of the alien prisoners, and aimed his gun at the guard door.

As suspected two, stupid Drophnyds came barreling through to meet the well-timed missiles ofthe Judicator. Orangish goo splattered all over the walls as the rockets exploded, drenching most of the prisoner's in skin-deteriorating plasma. Most of them screamed in agony and withdrew back into their cells.

_Enemy detected fr—_

Something clinked on the floor behind Ratchet and he turned around just in time to see a grenade explode at his feet, sending him spinning into the air to smash into the ceiling and then crashing to the floor with an all mighty thud and gasp of pain.

_Damage assessment. Physical Health at 155 of 295. Sensors seeking Nanotechnology._

Ratchet ignored the words and flipped himself onto his feet, dodging a couple rounds of flaming plasma blasts from the Drophnyd hovering in the air. His fingers curled around the trigger of the Judicator…

…only to find that it wasn't there. He franticly searched for it and the Trillium Armor, picking up on his frantic thoughts, began scanning the room for the desired weapon.

_Omega Judicator detected. _

"Okay! I get it! Where!?"

_At five feet above and three feet left._

Ratchet groaned in dismay. The stupid grenade had sent the Judicator hurtling onto the ledge of the prisoner's windows! What stupid, stupid luck. He back-flipped and rolled to the left, dodging more fire from the Drophnyd. The thing garbled something odd and made an expression that could have possibly been called a sneer before swooping in low for the kill.

A fatal mistake on its part.

One of the reaching appendages (Ratchet dared not try and think what appendage it was, exactly) snatched the Drophnyd clean out of the air. Ratchet lay flat on his stomach as he watched another prisoner grab the unlucky thing as well. The two started pulling on it. In different directions.

Ratchet grimaced and turned away as bits of machinery flew across the hall. He felt something brush his back and rolled away towards the mini elevator he'd hacked earlier. Time to get the Omega Judicator and get out of this stupid place.

* * *

Yeah! I had fun with this one! And it actually sounds good! My gosh, I've been writing crap for this for so long I almost forgot what the good stuff was! Dang!

Oh, yeah, I think I spelled Drophnyd wrong but I'm too lazy to go look. Meh.

* * *


	16. 048 Childhood

This can be considered a follow up of '035: Hold My Hand', I guess. No, not I guess, yes it can be! Grrr. Ratchet as a little kid growing up on Veldin, he's such a cutie…!

* * *

**048: Childhood**

The community raised him as a whole. Not that it made any difference. He didn't take a liking to any of them. More often than not he would wander off by himself without supervision. However, he did have his ups. His knowledge and skill with technology was incredible.

"Ratchet, come here a minute." One of the mechanics working in a nearby shop called over the Lombax pup who immediately abandoned the plants he'd been tearing apart with his claws. The youngling barely reached to the waist of any adult Veldian on the planet.

"We've got another hunk of junk you can have." The mechanic led the Lombax into the back lots of the work area, "Junky old space craft we dug up, probably isn't ever going to work but you can have it all. Spare parts and all."

Ratchet blinked up at the tiny ship. Then he walked up to it, running his fingers over it, peering into every little crack and crevice, and sniffing its rusty surface. He turned to the mechanic who was watching with a vague sort of interest, "Can you boost me up there?" The Lombax indicated the cockpit and the mechanic walked over.

Ratchet scrambled onto the man's shoulders and jumped into the cockpit, clenching his hands on the steering controls that were far too big for him. The mechanic on the ground watched those large green eyes travel over the controls, the gauges, and the various buttons that made up the dashboard of the ancient craft.

It always amazed the mechanic to watch the little furball work. Ratchet was a master mechanic, he could fix almost anything you threw at him, and he was only seven years old.

They'd found him just outside the city, whimpering and crying in a language no one recognized, a tiny ball that was all golden fluff and green eyes. No one was sure where he'd come from. They'd only known that he was a Lombax. And an orphaned one, too, since none of his race had ever showed up to claim him.

"I think I can fix it," Ratchet slipped his feet out of the cockpit, hanging onto the edge with his hands, stomach pressed against the side of the ship. Suddenly realizing he wasn't going to be able to land on the ground without hurting himself, he looked pointedly at the mechanic.

* * *

"Have you seen Ratchet?"

"No, not since last night when he came by for supper. He said he was staying with Landy."

"Well he's a liar because he's not with her."

"Did he stay with you?"

"Nope."

"I think I can solve your dilemma for you, ladies!" The two Veldian women looked around to see a grease covered mechanic strolling towards them with a grin on his face, "Come on, I'll show you where the little bugger's at."

The two women glanced doubtfully at one another but followed the mechanic anyway. He was know for being on close speaking terms with Ratchet, both of them being into fixing things, and for being a ladies man.

Once the trio had reached the edge of town, the mechanic pushed his way through some of the leafy plants Ratchet had an insane habit of tearing the leaves off of and stopped, grinning.

"Told you I'd show you where he was staying."

A small garage that had been abandoned a few years before stood before them, several crates stacked inside along with a bench that was littered in tools and parts. Outside, elevated off the ground on piled up crates and concrete blocks, was a tiny, rusty looking space craft.

The women moved towards the open cockpit of the space craft and crept carefully up the makeshift stairs leading towards it. Then they both cooed in delight. The mechanic rolled his eyes and left them to their devices.

Curled up on one of the worn out leather seats of the cockpit like a stray animal, was Ratchet. His knees were drawn up to his chin, one arm was propping his head off the seat, the other was hanging off the side of the seat with an Omni Wrench that was almost as big as he was curled loosely in his fingers, his tail was draped over his ankles, and his ears twitched every time he breathed out.

The two women continued to have a whispered conversation about how cute he was for the next ten minutes until Ratchet's ears twitched out of synch with his breathing, his nose scrunched like he was smelling something unpleasant, and he cracked his eyes open. When he saw the two Veldian women smiling over him he rolled over and crawled under the seat.

Minutes later, the two women heard the sounds of clattering and clinking.

* * *

Six years later, on his thirteenth birthday, Ratchet was still attempting to fix the small space craft in an attempt to get away from the smothering atmosphere of Veldin. He was crouched at the back of the ship, adjusting the rear thrusters so that they were wired to the new control panel he'd just installed, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Ratchet jumped and smacked his head on the main rocket above him, yelping in pain and holding the afflicted area. He rounded on the mechanic who was grinning sheepishly.

"Well, that's not a very nice look."

"You made me hit my head."

"What? Did you think I was going to let you go about your thirteenth birthday without acknowledgement? You're a freaking teenager, Ratchet!"

"Yeah, and?" The Lombax lowered his gloved hand from his head to check that there was no blood.

"I got you a present."

Ratchet raised an eyebrow, "A present." He repeated"

"A present." The mechanic confirmed and held out his hand, tipping something small, blue, and square into Ratchet's own hand.

"A…whoa…a…" Ratchet held up the pulsing blue square, gazing at it with his mouth hanging open, "A Gadgetron Help-Desk Transmitter! Where'd you get this!? They're super expensive!"

"Um…" The mechanic blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I…spent a lot on it…but…but that doesn't matter." He stubbornly shoved his hands into his pockets as Ratchet attached the Gadgetron Help-Desk Transmitter to his left glove, "I know how you desperately want to finish this thing…and get off of Veldin."

Ratchet looked up at the mechanic and grinned, his ears pricking up.

"Thanks, Sythe. I really mean it. Thanks."

* * *

Aw, so sweet! Ratchet even had an attitude when he was seven! (laughs) Well, maybe he's a **little** OOC but, hey, crap happens. Hm, well.

Thanks so much for reading and please review! Byes!


	17. 065 Horror

Oh, geez, I really didn't mean to write a second part to '048: Childhood' it just sort of…happened. But I guess it's not a bad thing, hm? Besides, this might be…interesting. Be warned. I sense angst surfacing…!

I guess this thing could be taken as a sort of AU approach. That's the only way I can think of explaining this. Very angsty stuff.

* * *

**065: Horror**

An explosion knocked sixteen year old Lombax Ratchet off his feet and onto the dusty ground of Veldin. He leapt agilely upright again, ears pricked, fur bristled, as he turned towards the direction of the flames. White rimmed his brilliant green eyes as fear flooded him.

In a flash he was racing towards the town, screaming a bloody war cry, swinging his Omni-Wrench over his head. A wave of tesla energy caught him in the side and he cried out in agony as he was sent flying into the side of one of the burning houses. A robot reared over him and, on pure instinct, Ratchet swept his Wrench out, bashing the thing in half. Half a minute he lay there, recovering, panting, starring at the ruin of the machine before him.

A scream of torture ripped him from his reverie and he scrambled to his feet, running flat out with panic spiking his adrenaline. The town was in shambles; fire spread quickly in the humid air, buildings crumbled, blood splattered everything, machine parts lay scattered across the ground, and the distant sounds of people screaming made Ratchet's fear escalate.

He may have wanted to escape Veldin but it was still his home…and he would protect it.

"Landy!?" He called, dodging more tesla fire and beating down more robots, "Wiquer!? Demo!? Anybody!?" His breath was coming up short as he stumbled around a corner towards the mechanic yard, "Somebody!?" His wandering gaze found someone propped against one of the energy towers.

The front of their shirt was stained in violet blood. The blood of a Veldian.

"Oh please…please no…!" Ratchet whispered, running towards the body, "Oh please, for the love of Veldin, no!" He stumbled and fell to his knees, near to tears, "Sythe! Sythe, talk to me! What happened!? SYTHE!"

A shuddering breath and the mechanic's eyes opened slightly. They were unfocused and blurred but the found Ratchet's vivid green eyes all the same, "H-hey…Ratchet…you sh-shouldn't b-be here…you should b-be running a-away…"

"No! I'm not leaving you here!" Ratchet grabbed Sythe's arm in an attempt to haul the Veldian upright and carry him to safety but he was only a sixteen year old Lombax and didn't have the strength to do it. He collapsed, half gasping, half sobbing, still with Sythe's arm around his shoulders.

"R-Ratchet…listen to me…okay…" Sythe's eyes were closed again and each breath he drew sent a shuddering gasp through his entire body, "C-carefully…th-the ship that c-crashed…outside the…the t-town…there should be…a…a…" Sythe coughed violently, spewing violet blood from his mouth, "G-go to…the crater…get…out of here…Ratchet…!"

"I can't…!" Ratchet moaned, shaking almost as much as his mechanic friend, "I can't leave you…I can't! You're…you're…you're my friend, Sythe…!"

Sythe grinned feebly, "N-never thought…I'd hear you…s-say those…words…" He let out one, final, shuddering breath and lay still.

Ratchet's mind processed what had happened and he started trembling. Tears burned his eyes and blurred his vision, matting his fur as they slid down his cheeks. He cried out, shaking Sythe's lifeless form, begging for the man to return.

But to no avail.

The only ones who heard his screams where the enemy and they converged on him like birds to a battlefield. Ratchet glared at them through his tears.

This was their fault.

This was all their fault.

And now they were going to pay.

With a frenzied war cry, Ratchet leapt at the nearest one, hanging onto its front with his feet and one free hand while bashing it over the head with his Omni-Wrench. The robot went down like a stone and the Lombax quickly jumped on his next target. He sank his dangerous fangs into the cooling tube on the back of the thing and jerked backwards, ripping it out. Then he spun off of the flailing machine and smashed off the head of the third one as he vaulted through the air.

All three robots clattered to the ground at the same moment Ratchet landed on his feet.

Without a backward glance he raced through the burning streets towards the smoking crater in the distance.

Tears sparkled in the air behind him.

* * *

Oh my gosh the angst in that one was horrible. I'm so horrible. I guess after that he finds Clank and runs off in his ship. I feel like a jerk; I'm getting kicks out of torturing people in fan fictions. Masicist. I hope not.

On the other hand, that is possibly one of the coolest fight scenes I've ever written. And I suck at writing fight scenes, they're hard to do. I couldn't remember what attacked you your first round on Veldin so I made it robots. Tough snickerdoodles if it wasn't. It's AU. Ba-Humbug!

Please leave me a review and thanks for reading! Stick around for more Lombax Kisses!


	18. 084 Out Cold

Oh dang, I haven't done one of these in forever, have I!? I owe you guys big time! I've just had quite the major Writer's Block for this and I haven't been playing a lot of video games lately either so…you know…

* * *

**084: Out Cold

* * *

  
**

Talwyn watched as Ratchet wiped sweat from his forehead, setting down his Omniwrench with a sigh and leaned against Aphelion's side. His golden fur was matted all over the place and his usually vivid green eyes were dulled. Talwyn rolled her eyes, set down the crate of Bolts she'd been hauling, and walked over to the exhausted looking Lombax.

"Ratchet, are you alright? You've been looking a little out of it all day."

"I'm fine," Ratchet snapped back and then rubbed his face in his hands, "I'm just…tired."

"You've barely slept since…" Talwyn didn't dare finish that sentence. Clank's disappearance was a delicate subject.

"I said I'm fine!" Ratchet bared his fangs and turned his back on her. But that didn't stop her from hearing him fall into a coughing fit.

"You're _not_ fine!" She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, putting a hand briefly to his forehead, "You idiot! You've worked yourself into a sickness!"

"Have not!" Ratchet replied stubbornly, crossing his arms.

"Yes, you have!" Talwyn grabbed his upper arm and started dragging him out of the garage, "Come on, you're going to get some sleep! Right now!"

"Talwyn!" Ratchet snarled, yanking his arm away, "I don't need your help! I'm fine! I have to find Clank and I…I…" His green eyes rolled back and he slumped forward into Talwyn's arms.

"Idiot…" The young woman muttered and proceeded to drag the unconscious Lombax to his room, "Why do you think you have to do everything by yourself?"

Ratchet opened his eyes to the familiar ceiling of his room. He blinked several times and then sneezed.

"Oh, so the Great Lombax is awake, is he?" Ratchet sat up, holding a hand to his head, and looked around to see Talwyn sitting on a chair beside his bed with a holo-veiwer in her hands.

"What happ—?" Ratchet's inquiry was cut short by the thermometer that was shoved into his mouth.

"You got sick." Talwyn replied, "And you'd think that with all of modern science's advancements they'd find a way to cure the common cold with nanotech…" She pulled the thermometer out of the Lombax's mouth, "See, look, you're temperature's above the normal level for a healthy Lombax. You're sick."

"Hmph." Ratchet snorted, ears sliding back and the end of his tail bristling. He hated being proven wrong. The door sliding open made him look around and he saw Cronk teetering in with a bowl of steaming…something.

"'Ere, Lombax," The robot croaked, "That'll liven you up quick!" And the old robot vanished back out of the room.

Ratchet sniffed the bowl of brownish liquid that had strips of a familiar looking plant floating in them and then glanced at Talwyn who gave him a cheeky smile.

"It's a secret recipe." The young woman stated as Ratchet took the offered spoon from her and stirred the substance in the bowl, "My father came back from one of his trips with it once and he made it for me every time I was sick. I always thought it was too spicy but—."

"It's not a secret." Ratchet muttered, holding back a cough as he tipped a spoonful into his mouth and swallowed. An expression of absolute ecstasy spread across his face and he sighed contentedly, taking another spoonful, "It's from Veldin."

"Oh…" Talwyn appeared dumbstruck.

"This plant," Ratchet picked one out with his spoon and licked his lips before slurping it up like spaghetti, "Is from Veldin; the locals never had a name for it but I loved to tear it up when I was little. Ripped the leaves to pieces and then chewed on 'em for hours."

"You like spicy stuff, then?" Talwyn muttered with an expression of disgust.

"Oh yeah," Ratchet laughed and then sneezed, "I _love_spicy food when I can get it!" He drained the last of the soup and handed the empty bowl and spoon back to Talwyn, "And now I'm going to sleep."

"You're going to—what?" Talwyn had thought for sure that the Lombax would try to get back to Aphelion to take off and look for Clank again, "But I thought you—!"

"The plant's spicy and it's good," Ratchet muttered sleepily, rolling over onto his side so that his back was to her and pulling the covers over his head, "But it makes me sleepy…"

"Well then," Talwyn muttered as she left the room, "Next time I want you to stay put I'll just feed you some of this stuff!"

All little stupid at the end but there you have it. I think I give Ratchet a lot of animalistic traits because it makes him funny. Some animals have are attracted to certain plants and I think it would make sense (not to mention the humor of it) for Ratchet to tear up said plants and then eat them. Especially as a little kid.

So, anyway, thanks for putting up with me never updating! You guys rock, you really do! And thanks a ton for all the reviews! Thanks for reading, please review, and have an awesome day! Byes!


	19. 074 Are You Challenging Me?

I wanted to try writing a good fight scene with this one but I don't know how well it's actually going to turn out. Fight scenes are kind of difficult to write. It's like drawing. You can see it in your head but it's near impossible to get down on paper right.

* * *

**074: Are You Challenging Me?

* * *

  
**

Patience was a virtue.

He remained as still as possible, barely even breathing as he gave the figure across the arena floor a cold glare.

Patience was a virtue.

His eyes narrowed and his ears slid back. He had to wait. Wait. Wait. And wait some more.

The anger in him boiled like a beast in a cage.

Patience could burn and die.

Patience was a waste of time.

Why wait when he could kill?

He lunged across the arena, raised his Omega Shredder Claws above his head, and brought them down in a quick sweep. She blocked it, of course, with her Disruptor; a blade carved of ectoranium and raritanium and filled with an endlessly renewable supply of plasmic energy.

He used the momentum of his sweep and the force of the block to propel himself backwards into a summersault that landed him on his feet. She rushed him before he could find his balance and he dropped to the floor, rolling to the side. Then, as he heard the Disruptor clang against the steel, he flipped himself upright, spun in a circle, and allowed the impetus of the move to slash around with his Shredder Claws.

Indigo blood splattered across the floor as she jumped back, holding a hand to the cut on her side.

He raised his blood-stained Shredder Claw to his face, peering at the lingering fluid, gave her the pleasure of a maniacal grin, and licked the blood off the energy buzzing blade with a purr of satisfaction.

The sadistic abhorrence within him swelled with the ecstasy of a soon-to-be kill.

With a wild cry, he forward flipped across the arena towards her. She started charging as well, swinging Disruptor in a downward arc that could easily remove his head. But he'd been fighting longer than she had. At the last second, he twisted to the right and, still balanced on his hands, aimed a heavy kick at the side of her head. She went one way and Disruptor went the other.

He spun himself upright and ran towards her as she got to her feet. She swung a punch at him but he dropped low to the ground to avoid it, intending to slice her feet off with his crimson glowing Shredder Claws. He didn't see her knee come up until it was too late.

He was sent skidding across the floor with his hands reflexively over his bleeding nose. She glared at him and he returned the glare ten times over. He smelled her fear, even through his own blood. With a snort that sent a glob of ruby liquid to the floor, he cracked his neck and tensed again.

Then he started stalking her.

Like prey.

Rage and hatred made his fur tingle.

Kill.

He slowly edged around her and she matched his movements so that the both of them were moving in a slow circle, waiting…waiting…and always waiting…

He hated waiting.

The move was so unexpected she didn't see it coming.

He stepped back, dropping his defensive stance, and let his muscles relax. She stared at him; she'd never seen him control his hatred. He did it so rarely. But when he didn't it left such a big mess.

Master didn't like messes.

And she'd never been able to teach him patience.

"_It's all one big freaking chess game, ain't it Blue?"_

He closed his eyes.

"_What's a chess game?"_

He could hear her barreling across the arena floor. Heard her scoop Disruptor up and charge towards him.

It would make no difference.

"_Ya' know…we're the Pawns…"_

He opened his eyes slightly and tilted his head to look at her.

"_A game of chess, huh?"_

She was afraid. Much too afraid. Her anger would never surface that way.

"_Then who's the King?"_

He stepped aside, dodging her swing effortlessly, and brought up his Shredder Claws.

"_I know."_

"_What?"_

He plunged the sharpened tips deep into the flesh of her stomach. She screamed in agony and fell to the floor but he was relentless. He twisted his weapon in deeper still, tearing apart vital organs.

She was going to die.

Her red eyes started to dim as she looked at him.

"You…were right…" She coughed, splattering him with indigo blood, "All along…you had…it…right…we…were…only pawns…to them…useless…pawns…"

She stopped moving.

He pulled his Shredder Claws out of her body with a sickening squelching noise and stared at her lifeless corpse.

"You challenged me, Blue." Ratchet stated coldly, flicking blood from his fingertips nonchalantly, "And I returned the favor."

"_The King's the one who's left standing at the end of this war."_

* * *

Darn it! It turned into another "Dark" one! What the heck! Oh, geez, I killed Blue. Is that cliché or what. Well, actually, I was intending to make it Sasha he was fighting but then I figured that if he couldn't kill her in "I Can't" then there's no way he's going to kill her now.

Ratchet's turned into such a cold hearted…jerk.

Anyway, thanks for putting up with me never updating but I've sort of run dry on ideas for this. So thanks for reading, please review, and byes!


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